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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 14, 2017 4:13:50 GMT
The harvest.
This is a really good story. It’s a great showing for the cybermen. I love when a monster learns and strives to become more than what they are. For a monster to acknowledge and strive to gain the strength of humanity makes for a great story.
Both McCoy and Aldred put in a great performance and react well with Olivier and he puts in a good performance while having his entire world turned upside down.
It’s weird not having Briggs do the cybermen, but not having them on the cast list helps to hide they’re appearance. They have some great scenes. I’d have loved to see one chasing the scooter on foot or getting its head sawed off!
It’s a great story with excellent buildup and payoff, and Hex is a welcome addition to the tardis.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 16, 2017 5:13:30 GMT
The roof of the world.
I can’t say I was impressed by this one.
The setting is fantastic, the guest actors and sound design really help to sell the location. It’s also such a perfect setting for the fifth doctor.
The characterization of the regulars is fantastic, you can tell it was written by a fan.
I also love the idea of the Tardis swimming pool being frozen by Peri, it shows a real intelligence to the character. It also seems that those reading lessons are going quite well.
Episode 2 is a wonderful showing for Erimem, they should have definitely kept her around for longer. Bryant is absolutely vicious in her scenes with her.
My two issues is that Erimem really doesn’t get much to do after part 2 and that’s a real shame. Also, the story gets downright boring when we return to the real world.
I do want to give a shout out to nucleusofswarmv2, his comment about rigelsford and being a story about lies was brilliant.
It starts well, then becomes an absolute bore.
6/10.
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 16, 2017 5:15:26 GMT
Dalek Empire 3 The survivors.
That last twist!
A little bit of a stumble For me, hard trouble staying focused on this story. A Lot of moving parts in this story.
It’s ok, but mainly set up for the next story.
7/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 17, 2017 17:40:02 GMT
Dalek Empire 3: The Demons
The origin for the Dalek supreme was pretty cool.
Lots of reveals in this story, tarkov’s daughter, galanar’s history.
Enjoying that as each episode progresses, Tennants role grows larger and larger.
Everything’s building up, looking forward to the finale.
9/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 17, 2017 18:00:34 GMT
Medicinal Purposes.
I can’t say I enjoyed this one very much. Although there are some good things to be had.
Having the Doctor as fans of Burke and Hare was a bit odd, though it did give a bit of nice contrast with Evelyn. Also that scene where he thinks she might have been their latest victim shows just how much he cares for her. Even if he did put his foot in his mouth explaining it to her. He also shows a real sensitivity whenever Jamie is around, to see him so gentle is quite a shock seeing where his character first started 30 some odd years ago.
David Tennant does an excellent job as Daft Jamie, it’s a role that could have been quite poorly received, but he plays it well without causing any offence (to me at least.)
As for the plot, I have no idea what’s going on. Something about Time looping Burke and hare, but getting Burke not to be involved? As well as some sort of virus? I don’t know, it didn’t make sense to me. Knox, while having a good voice, fails to impress as a villain and his ability to control a tardis better than the Doctor reeks of Mary-sueness. (The Doctor has had hundreds of years to practice and gets shown up by some human? Seriously?)
I wish it was pure historical.
6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 19, 2017 4:37:07 GMT
Dalek Empire 3 The warriors
I like the idea of Daleks making food for their patients. I can just imagine Dalek chefs cooking with the little chef hat. It’s quite comical.
Now poor Tarkov, he’s basically had a complete breakdown, and I can’t blame him for it. Briggs has really put him through hell.
Galanar seems to be a rock of calm in this story, he’s desperate to get Tarkov back on side but he’s calm and level headed during the whole thing. He’d make a good negotiator.
Loved the chase, and how they evaded capture.
Good stuff. Looking forward to the finale.
8/10.
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 19, 2017 4:44:44 GMT
Faith Stealer.
Please stop reminding me of creed of the Kromon. Tardis haunting the Doctor is neat. Sacred paper people for a laugh out of me.
This story is a step up from the last season. The characterization has stabilized and the characters are starting to become likeable again. (Aside from the whole trying to choke Charley thing.) C’rizz’s backstory is finally starting to take shape. (It’s about time)
It’s an alright story, but it doesn’t do anything to really grab me and suck me in.
7/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 19, 2017 7:54:17 GMT
Dalek Empire 3: the future
That’s how it ends?!
This was a great story and a great conclusion to this season.
This season took a different approach to the Dalek invasions of the past two seasons. I like the idea of the Daleks playing coy about their plans and the revelation about what they’re doing is brilliant. The cliffhanger is frustrating as to the fact that David tennant has become too expensive to bring back for another season.
It’s much slower than the previous seasons and yet it takes that time to show the impact of
the Daleks from several different sides. I rather enjoyed the early bits with the wardens.
Another excellent season of Dalek Empire.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 19, 2017 7:54:51 GMT
The last
This story is absolutely brutal.
I’d say this is the first really solid story for this tardis team. No one is possessed or hypnotized. It also reveals a fair bit about the nature of the divergent universe.
My only issue is by this point in time, McGann and Fisher are clearly bored. McGann doesn’t really fuss over the fact that she’s crippled and his reaction to her death is very subdued. Compare hers to Lucie’s and it’s a clear difference.
Westmaas is the only one who seems to be putting in effort amongst the regulars.
Carolyn Jones is astonishing as Excelsior. Utterly unhinged and completely revolting she really sells the underlying madness of the character.
Excelsior killing Charley is horrible. I don’t quite understand why her ghost came to visit the Doctor, I thought that was part of C’rizz’s gift.
Back to the To the Death comparisons, after C’rizz and Charley bite the dust, the Doctor is angry but there’s no fury, it’s almost like he’s mildly annoyed, but in TtD he’s actually scary to be around, he’s all hellfire in that one.
It’s a great story, marred by regulars who are tired at this point. It could have been so much more.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 26, 2017 20:20:55 GMT
Unit: The Coup
This is an interesting story. It serves to set up the range, while telling a very short story.
The ICIS set up is interesting and looks to be resolved in the next few stories.
Loved the inversion of the Silurian dilemma.
Interested in what is yet to come.
7/10.
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 26, 2017 20:21:53 GMT
Caerdroia This story seems to be one giant run around, which is to be expected given them meaning of the title.
I didn’t care too much for the first episode, it manages to reveal a bit too much about Kro’ka. He didn’t really feel like a threat after the doctor started running circles around him.
McGann does an excellent job in this one playing three different versions of himself. I noticed they all had slightly different inflections, giving each one a different sound. I just wish we got to keep the cheery one, it feels like we’ve been stuck with the miserable one forever now.
There was one line after the split that caught my attention. When the doctor was looking at himself, he says that he thought he was taller. Was that a nod to the publicity shots from the movie?
A good release, if a big runaround. McGann shines.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 28, 2017 5:18:35 GMT
The next life
Has Charley met Jago? He’d be quite proud of her dazzling display of alliterative affluence.
Man, this story is long,and there are parts of it that, while they are good, don’t really affect the plot. Charley’s bit in the first part of the story is rather nice reflecting on just how far she’s come. Plus it’s always wonderful to have Anneke Wills performing. I really enjoy hearing her.
C’rizz finally has a showing where he isn’t terrible, but for me, personally it’s too late. I’ve stopped caring about the character.
Don Warrington is always a pleasure to hear, he’s got a great voice. I really hope that they bring him back for the time war series.
Paul McGann is reunited with Daphne Ashbrook. They are great together and it makes me wish that Big Finish had the rights to grace. She’s quite flirty and only when her real identity is revealed she really turns up the ham level.
I’m mixed on this story. There’s some good character work being done, but that’s almost a separate story in itself. The plot doesn’t actually start until the Doctor arrives in part 3. The foreshadowing around keep is quite well done, particularly the sounds from Scherzo being played.
The biggest issue in this story is that everything is rushed. With nuwho on the way. They wanted 8 back in the main universe and as a result plot points are rushed, others disregarded and the last few minutes having felt like McGann was being rushed out of the universe.
7/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 28, 2017 17:47:55 GMT
Unit: time heals
That was a waste of time. A bunch of plots that aren’t overly interesting and actors that aren’t engaged.
Yawn.
3/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 29, 2017 15:17:14 GMT
Her Final Flight.
If I had to describe this story, it would be “missed opportunity.”
The Doctor reunites with Peri after the events of mindwarp. That’s a concept brimming with drama and one that’s fully taken advantage on in the Widows Assassin and touched upon in Piscon Paradox. But here it only gets a few minutes of coverage before the main plot takes precedence.
Colin attacks the script and turns in a good performance as usual, but the script doesn’t really give him any really good material to work with
Nicola sounds bored to be honest.
The supporting cast is nothing special and the badguy setting up the whole thing isn’t revealed.
It’s decent, but disposable.
6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 29, 2017 21:41:46 GMT
A Storm of Angels
This story is wonderful. The great thing about the unbound range is that in jettisoning the continuity, it allows the writers to tell a story that doesn’t play by the standard rules of Doctor Who.
The setting, and it’s central conceit are perfect. The doctor, having changed history so much has created an earth completely different and yet recognizable on another level. Francis Drake and Queen Mary is space are great! Not to mention it lends itself to some very enlightenmentesque visuals.
That being said, I do feel the characterization of the Doctor and Susan are slightly off. The Doctor is more of a bumbler than he was in Auld Mortality and Susan is much closer to her television counterpart, just with a bit more maturity. I suspect that can be written off as her being a product of the probability generator.
Moses is fantastic as a monster, and is quite striking given his description.
This is a great story featuring the Doctor and Susan. It’s just a shame there aren’t anymore to come.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 29, 2017 21:42:17 GMT
Unit: Snake Head
Another story I feel lukewarm about. The vampires don’t feel like a credible threat. The smuggling immigrant plot goes nowhere and I’ve yet to feel anything but apathy from the regulars.
And where is Nicholas Courtney?
4/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 30, 2017 6:09:43 GMT
The Juggernauts
I really enjoyed this one. It riffs off the success of Davros by keeping him separate from his creations for the lions share of the story and it works quite well.
Colin once again locks horns with Molloy and the result is extremely entertaining.
As a villain, i really enjoy Davros. While it’s not as strong as his self titled story, the Juggernauts provides him plenty of space to manipulate those around him. He seizes and forces Kryson to do his bidding simply by sheer force of personality. I truly enjoy his character because he believes so strongly in his own actions.
It’s amazing just how much Mel shines in this story. One of my first experiences with her was this story and based off that I was shocked to hear she was one of the more disliked companions. This story is a great showing from her. For a while I could see her settling down with Geoff, but it wasn’t meant to be. Bear the end, she really bares her teeth at Davros.
A great story, one I return to every now and again. An excellent tale for Mel.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Dec 30, 2017 6:33:00 GMT
The Game
Feels like forever since I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Peter Davison (16 stories!)
This story takes a classical sci-fi trope (taking something mundane and building a society around it) the story works well around its sports civil war conceit and Davison really sells his outrage when he finally understands the full implications of what’s actually going on.
Sarah Sutton, she used to be one of my least favourite companions. I felt she was bland flat and boring. How wrong was I?! This story shows just what she’s made of. Very loyal to the Doctor, she’s willing to leave him for the sake of continuing to broker peace throughout the universe. She’s strong, reserved and mature; wonderful traits to have as a companion.
William Russell is phenomenal, his image as a renowned peace advocate is shattered when he reveals the Doctors role in his life. Russell plays a man that means well but is completely out of his depth. Yet he engenders a real sensed sympathy. I eagerly look forward to his continuing contributions to big finish.
A good classic sci fi story with ideas that would be revisited by new Who in the future.
8/10
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Dec 30, 2017 16:34:19 GMT
Keep em coming Star Platinum, I'm reading the lot.
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Post by Star Platinum on Jan 2, 2018 6:43:19 GMT
Keep em coming Star Platinum, I'm reading the lot. Always nice to hear to hear this! The adventures of Luther Awkright I’d never heard of it before coming to Big Finish before It wasn’t too bad, it’s not my favourite thing from Big Finish. I like the idea of parallel universe hopping. (Actually I’m very fond of the DC multiverse myself) but I felt it was really just a device that let the writer craft the world he wanted too instead of hopping the multiverse. David tenant was good, as ever, but it was india Fisher that stood out to me. Her character was just so uncharley! There’s a line in the blurb on the Download where many things are familiar, but that was the issue I had with most of the story. I have no idea who the spoonheads or Cromwell are. Neither did I know who princess Anne is. It’s good, but I always felt one step behind. 7/10
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